Since as many as 26 percent of older U.S. adults have lost all their teeth, there are a large number Americans who wear full removable dentures, also known as false teeth. You may be one of them.

How much do you know about dentures? See if you can answer the following questions connected with lost teeth and dentures.

Which word refers to the loss of all permanent teeth?

Atrophy

Prosthetic

Edentulism

Periodontal

What is the name given to the bone that surrounds, supports, and connects to your teeth?

Periodontal

Metacarpal

Tibia

Alveolar

What tissue attaches the teeth to the bone that supports your teeth?

Periodontal Ligament

Periodontal Muscle

Parietal Ligament

Achilles Tendon

When a person loses teeth, the stimulus that keeps the underlying bone healthy is also lost, and the bone resorbs or melts away. Pressure transmitted by dentures through the gums to the bone can accentuate this process, which is called

Dystrophy

Atrophy

Hypertrophy

None of the above

A device that replaces a missing body part such as an arm or leg, eye, tooth or teeth is referred to as

Robotic

Imaginary

Exotic

Prosthetic

When teeth have to be extracted, bone loss can be minimized by bone grafting. Bone grafting materials are usually a sterile powdered form of

Allograft (human tissue)

Xenograft (animal tissue)

Both

Neither

Wearers of full dentures must re-learn to manipulate the jaw joints, ligaments, nerves, and muscles to work differently in order to speak, bite, and chew. The name for this system of interconnected body mechanisms, originating with the root words for “mouth” and “jaw,” is

Boca biting

Stomatognathic

Periodontal

None of the above

A type of plastic that is artistically formed and colored to make prosthetic teeth and gums look natural is called

methyl methacrylate

beta barbital

rayon

polystyrene

Success in denture wearing depends on

The skill of the dentist

The talent of the laboratory technician

The willing collaboration of the patient

All of the above

Answers: 1c, 2d, 3a, 4b, 5d, 6c, 7b, 8a, 9d. How well did you do? If you have additional questions about full removable dentures, don’t hesitate to ask us.